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roadtripreader 's review for:
Meet Me at the Anvil
by Kate Prior
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay new bucketlist item just dropped:
Runaway bride roadtrip to the Scottish Highlands with a handsome bestman and a cute little goat. Tea and sponge cake at a quaint little tearoom non-negotiable.
I straight up adored this novella.
Wish it was a novel or we got to read their happily ever after.
Romance Plot/Storyline/Themes: For a novella the burn is slow and sweet and then the heat is turned up to scoffield levels and then a rush of syrupy sweetness. I was rooting for you two crazy kids all the way!
Character Development/Favorite Character:
●Diane is smothered by well-meaning family members who really do have this annoying habit of not listening to her, passing comments over her and taking responsibility, agency of her body without so much as a "hey Diane, how does your heart stammer actually feel?". She is a passive character in her own life. I found myself railing against that wedding to Martin from the get go. Plus she's an erotic artist and man I wanted her to live out her fantasies.
● Even I was afraid to "look him in the eyes" in much the same way as Diane which makes sense, Liam is the golden lionhead adonis in Diane's story and he holds the smolder. The most attractive thing about him - he doesn't treat her like an invalid. That and his mischievous streak, tilting frame pictures. And he might have PTSD.
●Martin is a posh wanker, pompous, ill-humored, power hungry tosser. He'd be better suited to someone else and that's being generous.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
Diane attempting the role of runaway bride- well, runaway carriage with a bride and a best man. And a fainting goat following closely.
" The decision was this: they weren’t turning around, because she didn’t
know how to make the carriage do that." (Diane on resolve)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
"Love meant that no matter how plain a person’s face was, you grew to like its features. Love softened them. Made them wondrous" (lol okay Diane. Martin is just levels of NO)
"Liam proved that a scarred face did not make one ugly. If anything, his scars drew attention to the sharpness of his jaw and made one wonder what ferocious thing he'd fought to receive them." (Diane on Liam the ever-present hottie)
"Each time he tried to back seat drive, she tried to yank out of his reach, half sure to touch him would feel the way it did to look at him — blinding, burning, and world-shifting". (Runaway bride, Fainting Goat and Liam)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
The Fainting Goat and The Fainting Girl
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Romance books by 2025
Runaway bride roadtrip to the Scottish Highlands with a handsome bestman and a cute little goat. Tea and sponge cake at a quaint little tearoom non-negotiable.
I straight up adored this novella.
Wish it was a novel or we got to read their happily ever after.
Romance Plot/Storyline/Themes: For a novella the burn is slow and sweet and then the heat is turned up to scoffield levels and then a rush of syrupy sweetness. I was rooting for you two crazy kids all the way!
Character Development/Favorite Character:
●Diane is smothered by well-meaning family members who really do have this annoying habit of not listening to her, passing comments over her and taking responsibility, agency of her body without so much as a "hey Diane, how does your heart stammer actually feel?". She is a passive character in her own life. I found myself railing against that wedding to Martin from the get go. Plus she's an erotic artist and man I wanted her to live out her fantasies.
● Even I was afraid to "look him in the eyes" in much the same way as Diane which makes sense, Liam is the golden lionhead adonis in Diane's story and he holds the smolder. The most attractive thing about him - he doesn't treat her like an invalid. That and his mischievous streak, tilting frame pictures. And he might have PTSD.
●Martin is a posh wanker, pompous, ill-humored, power hungry tosser. He'd be better suited to someone else and that's being generous.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
Diane attempting the role of runaway bride- well, runaway carriage with a bride and a best man. And a fainting goat following closely.
" The decision was this: they weren’t turning around, because she didn’t
know how to make the carriage do that." (Diane on resolve)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
"Love meant that no matter how plain a person’s face was, you grew to like its features. Love softened them. Made them wondrous" (lol okay Diane. Martin is just levels of NO)
"Liam proved that a scarred face did not make one ugly. If anything, his scars drew attention to the sharpness of his jaw and made one wonder what ferocious thing he'd fought to receive them." (Diane on Liam the ever-present hottie)
"Each time he tried to back seat drive, she tried to yank out of his reach, half sure to touch him would feel the way it did to look at him — blinding, burning, and world-shifting". (Runaway bride, Fainting Goat and Liam)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
The Fainting Goat and The Fainting Girl
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Romance books by 2025